1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of computer graphics systems. More particularly, this invention relates to interfacing high resolution flat panel displays to computer graphics systems that employ high resolution CRT displays.
2. Art Background
High performance computer graphics systems typically employ high resolution CRT displays to generate high resolution images. Typically, application programs executing on a host processor of such a computer graphics system generate geometry data that defines graphical elements for display on the high resolution CRT. In such a graphics system, the application programs typically transfer the geometry data from the host processor to a graphics subsystem. The graphics subsystem then renders the high resolution images defined by the geometry data onto the CRT display.
Recent advances in semiconductor technology have enabled designers to reduce the size and weight of the processor subsystems, memory subsystems, and graphics rendering subsystems of such high performance computer graphics systems. As a consequence, the electronics housing for such computer graphics systems may be relatively small and lightweight. Unfortunately, the high resolution CRT displays of such graphics systems remain relatively large and unwieldy. The size and weight of high resolution CRT displays increases the desktop space required by such high performance computer graphics systems, thereby rendering such systems more intrusive in a work environment.
Flat panel displays may be retrofitted onto existing computer graphics systems to reduce the overall system size and weight. Such a retrofit of flat panel displays may also provide some degree of portability to new and existing computer graphics systems. Unfortunately, flat panel displays usually do not provide the high pixel display resolutions that characterize the higher performance computer graphics systems.
Nonetheless, lower resolution flat panel displays may be employed to reduce the overall size and weight of such graphics systems. However, existing high resolution computer graphics systems typically require major modifications to the graphics subsystem to accommodate the lower resolution flat panel displays. In addition, existing application programs for such computer graphics systems usually require extensive modifications for compatibility with the lower resolution flat panel displays. Such modifications increase the cost of developing smaller and lighter weight computer graphics systems that drive flat panel displays.